﻿THROUGH 
  THE 
  HEART 
  OF 
  ENGLAND 
  IN 
  A 
  CANOE 
  

  

  477 
  

  

  too 
  narrow 
  and 
  too 
  shallow, 
  being 
  rarely 
  

   more 
  than 
  30 
  feet 
  wide 
  and 
  4 
  feet 
  deep, 
  

   while 
  the 
  largest 
  locks 
  are 
  less 
  than 
  8 
  

   feet 
  in 
  width. 
  The 
  locks 
  are 
  too 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  and 
  too 
  cumbrous 
  and 
  slow 
  in 
  opera- 
  

   tion, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  method 
  of 
  horse- 
  

   barge 
  transport 
  far 
  too 
  slow. 
  

  

  To 
  bring 
  the 
  canals 
  in 
  line 
  with 
  modern 
  

   requirements 
  would 
  be 
  enormously 
  ex- 
  

   pensive, 
  and 
  so 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  they 
  

   will 
  remain 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  — 
  the 
  picturesque 
  

   and 
  extremely 
  interesting 
  survivals 
  of 
  a 
  

   more 
  leisurely 
  age. 
  

  

  Warwick, 
  one 
  of 
  England's 
  most 
  in- 
  

   teresting 
  towns 
  

  

  Warwick 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  

   towns 
  in 
  England, 
  its 
  history 
  going 
  back 
  

   more 
  than 
  a 
  thousand 
  years, 
  to 
  the 
  foun- 
  

   dation 
  of 
  the 
  castle 
  by 
  Ethelfleda, 
  the 
  

   famous 
  daughter 
  of 
  King 
  Alfred. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  building 
  dates 
  from 
  the 
  

   13th 
  century 
  and 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  stateliest 
  

   of 
  England's 
  homes. 
  Rising 
  from 
  the 
  

   very 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Avon, 
  with 
  its 
  great 
  

   Norman 
  keep 
  towering 
  aloft 
  like 
  a 
  giant 
  

   sentinel, 
  it 
  presents 
  a 
  picture 
  of 
  dignity 
  

   and 
  strength 
  which 
  remains 
  long 
  in 
  the 
  

   memory 
  (see 
  pages 
  476 
  and 
  478). 
  

  

  The 
  town 
  itself 
  is 
  full 
  of 
  medieval 
  as- 
  

   sociations. 
  In 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  High 
  

   Street 
  is 
  the 
  Leycester 
  Hospital 
  and 
  

   Chapel, 
  where 
  twelve 
  old 
  soldiers 
  pass 
  

   the 
  evening 
  of 
  their 
  days, 
  living 
  under 
  

   the 
  rules 
  laid 
  down 
  by 
  their 
  16th-century 
  

   founder 
  and 
  forming 
  a 
  striking 
  instance 
  

   of 
  that 
  continuity 
  of 
  tradition 
  and 
  dis- 
  

   like 
  of 
  change 
  so 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  

   Midland 
  folk. 
  

  

  The 
  Church 
  of 
  St. 
  Mary 
  has, 
  alas, 
  been 
  

   "restored," 
  but 
  the 
  wonderful 
  Beauchamp 
  

   Chapel 
  remains 
  untouched. 
  Built 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  1400 
  and 
  1500, 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  Beau- 
  

   champ 
  family, 
  at 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  Per- 
  

   pendicular 
  period, 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  architectual 
  

   gem 
  and 
  forms 
  indeed 
  a 
  page 
  of 
  English 
  

   history 
  in 
  itself 
  (see 
  page 
  479). 
  

  

  THE 
  CHARM 
  OF 
  ENGLISH 
  PARK-LAND 
  

  

  From 
  Warwick 
  the 
  Avon 
  winds 
  away 
  

   toward 
  Stratford 
  through 
  the 
  grounds 
  of 
  

   the 
  castle, 
  and 
  there 
  we 
  realized 
  to 
  the 
  full 
  

   the 
  extraordinary 
  charm 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  

   park-land. 
  

  

  The 
  low-lying 
  fields, 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  

   lush 
  green 
  grass 
  and 
  dotted 
  with 
  the 
  

   golden 
  buttercups 
  and 
  snow-white 
  daisies, 
  

  

  stretch 
  away 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  broken 
  by 
  

   the 
  trees, 
  singly, 
  in 
  clumps, 
  or 
  great 
  

   masses, 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  glory 
  of 
  the 
  place. 
  

   Here 
  is 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  oaks 
  which 
  were 
  

   saplings 
  when 
  the 
  Armada 
  sailed, 
  and 
  

   there 
  a 
  giant 
  beech 
  raises 
  its 
  clean, 
  velvet- 
  

   smooth 
  trunk. 
  

  

  Herds 
  of 
  deer 
  move 
  lazily 
  and 
  securely 
  

   along, 
  while 
  from 
  all 
  around 
  come 
  the 
  

   calls 
  of 
  innumerable 
  wild- 
  fowl. 
  A 
  noble 
  

   heron 
  flapping 
  slowly 
  overhead 
  and 
  the 
  

   great 
  castle 
  in 
  the 
  background 
  complete 
  

   the 
  picture. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  "haunt 
  of 
  ancient 
  

   peace." 
  

  

  On 
  leaving 
  the 
  park 
  our 
  course 
  became 
  

   more 
  difficult, 
  and 
  great 
  care 
  was 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  shallows 
  and 
  rocks 
  

   which 
  plentifully 
  bestrewed 
  the 
  river-bed. 
  

   Fortunately, 
  no 
  mishap 
  occurred, 
  and 
  by 
  

   nightfall 
  we 
  were 
  safely 
  encamped 
  at 
  

   Stratford, 
  the 
  home 
  of 
  Shakespeare. 
  

  

  STRATFORD 
  DURING 
  A 
  SHAKESPEARE 
  

   FESTIVAL 
  

  

  We 
  were 
  lucky 
  enough 
  to 
  arrive 
  during 
  

   the 
  annual 
  Shakespeare 
  festival 
  and 
  found 
  

   the 
  town 
  crowded 
  with 
  visitors. 
  Is 
  there 
  

   any 
  significance 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  by 
  far 
  

   the 
  greater 
  number 
  hailed 
  from 
  America 
  ? 
  

   Certainly, 
  he 
  who 
  wishes 
  to 
  understand 
  

   the 
  English 
  people 
  and 
  the 
  things 
  which 
  

   have 
  gone 
  to 
  make 
  them 
  must 
  visit 
  Strat- 
  

   ford 
  ; 
  and 
  we 
  counted 
  it 
  a 
  happy 
  augury 
  

   to 
  see 
  the 
  two 
  great 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  

   English-speaking 
  peoples 
  meeting 
  here 
  in 
  

   common 
  homage 
  to 
  the 
  greatest 
  of 
  Eng- 
  

   lish-speaking 
  writers. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  town 
  and 
  neighborhood 
  is 
  

   given 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  cult 
  of 
  Shakespeare, 
  and 
  

   this 
  is 
  as 
  it 
  should 
  be. 
  Shakespeare 
  is 
  

   England's 
  poet, 
  and 
  Stratford 
  is 
  a 
  typical 
  

   English 
  town, 
  set 
  in 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  Eng- 
  

   land. 
  

  

  We 
  first 
  climbed 
  the 
  tower 
  of 
  the 
  Me- 
  

   morial 
  Theater 
  (see 
  page 
  481) 
  and 
  looked 
  

   around. 
  The 
  Avon 
  flows 
  gently 
  past 
  the 
  

   very 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  building, 
  and 
  close 
  by 
  is 
  

   crossed 
  by 
  the 
  two 
  ancient 
  bridges, 
  with 
  

   their 
  many 
  arches, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  distance 
  

   is 
  the 
  smiling 
  Midland 
  plain. 
  

  

  The 
  town 
  itself 
  is 
  like 
  many 
  English 
  

   country 
  towns 
  — 
  quiet, 
  dignified, 
  and 
  

   peaceful. 
  Shakespeare's 
  house 
  lies 
  in 
  a 
  

   by-street. 
  With 
  its 
  gables, 
  small 
  diamond- 
  

   paned 
  windows, 
  and 
  framing 
  of 
  oak 
  

   beams, 
  it 
  is 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  i6th-century 
  

   middle-class 
  house. 
  

  

  